Bahrain: Charges Upheld against Protesters, Police Acquitted of Murder

Local Editor

The Bahraini Court of Appeal acquitted two policemen and reduced a jail term for another accused of killing peaceful Bahraini protesters, while it upheld jail sentences to protesters.
The court had cut a 7 year prison sentence of another officer to six months, who was sentenced back in January for beating to death a peaceful unarmed protester.
This comes as protesters took to the streets on Friday in the village of Duraz, west of the capital Manama, where the opposition's spiritual leader, Sheikh Issa Qassim was apprehended by security forces after having broken into his house and vandalizing it on May 17.
Bahrain has been witnessing mass protests for two years. The opposition peacefully calls for a democratic system, complaining of discrimination in jobs and government.
According to Human Rights Watch, more than 80 people have been killed by security forces since the peaceful demonstrations begun in February 2011. The regime claimed it would receive an independent commission of enquiry appointed by the king that confirmed allegations of excessive use of force by security forces, but the kingdom has repeatedly canceled the visit of the UN's special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, who was to probe police abuses of power.

Source: News Agencies, edited by website's team